Anywhere But Here
by Consulting Shippers
Summary: "'This is it,' he thought, swaying slightly; heights made him dizzy. The tips of his sneakers hung off the edge. He couldn't take it anymore. He was alone. Degraded. Unwanted. Ashamed."  Frerard.  Suicidal thoughts & slight violence; you've been warned.
1. Chapter 1

Gerard heard the sniggers from the table behind him. Oliver rolled his eyes.

"They're at it again," Gerard mumbled, staring down at the tray in front of him.

"How many times have I told you not to care about those assholes?" Oliver asked, stabbing at the school's bad excuse for a greek salad with his fork. Gerard winced and sunk deeper into his hoodie. Oliver was lucky, everyone actually liked him, despite the fact that he was dating Gerard. Oliver made friends easily. He didn't understand.

"Look, Gerard, if you don't stop caring about what they think, I'll go and sit with them instead. I can't take your self-pity anymore. It's depressing," Oliver went on carelessly, his voice rising more with every word. The cafeteria suddenly fell silent, and all three hundred and thirty two heads turned to stare at them.

"So, we're over?" Gerard asked quietly, not daring to look around at anyone else in the room. He knew they were all staring; he could feel it. Oliver picked up his tray and stood up; his chair scraping across the floor loudly. He turned on his heel and walked away quickly. Gerard stared at his back as he left the cafeteria. It stung.

Just then, Gerard felt a hard thump on the back of his head and his head jerked forward, almost hitting his tray.

"Go cut yourself, you faggot!" Someone yelled venomously. Gerard grit his teeth and walked out of the room with as much dignity as he could scrape up. He wasn't going to let those fuckers see him cry.

The bathroom was empty as Gerard washed his now-tear-stained face. He looked into the mirror and grimaced. He totally looked like shit. His smudged eyeliner his puffy eyes made him look like a sad raccoon. The door swung open, and Gerard turned his head sharply to see who was coming in. He didn't want to be seen like this by a douchebag; he didn't exactly want to be beaten up in a bathroom.

Frank barged in, ripping off his science-goggles and swearing under his breath. His friend, Ray, had spilt chlorine all over Frank's shirt, because he apparently thought it was the appropriate time to headbang. Big mistake. Frank then noticed he wasn't alone in the room.

"Gee, you okay?" Frank asked, still kind of pissed off. Gerard's heart lifted a little at the nickname, Frank was the only one who called him that.

"No, I'm not o-fucking-kay," Gerard snapped, glaring. "Oliver broke it off."

"Dude… That's fucked," Frank said, completely forgetting about the chlorine soaking his shirt. He yanked Gee into a huge hug, and Gerard wrapped his arms around Frank, wondering how such a small guy could make him feel so sheltered.

Gerard and Frank had met three years ago, at a Rob Zombie concert; when Gerard was fourteen and Frank was twelve. They had knocked heads while headbanging viciously to Dragula. Gerard was wearing his combat boots, and Frank was wearing his torn jeans. Both glared at each other before laughing hysterically. After exchanging cell numbers, they realized that they lived in the same area, and quickly became friends. They had been completely inseparable until Gerard became a senior at their high school. While Gerard fell hard for Frank, Frank made new friends. They had different schedules. As their lives grew busier, Frank has less and less time for Gerard. They hung out occasionally on the weekends, but Gerard had a feeling that Frank did that only out of sympathy.

Gerard wasn't all that upset about losing Oliver. He was upset about being alone again. Oliver had always just been a distraction from the fucking loneliness he had felt since Frankie drifted away. To Gerard, their friendship felt like a mere fantasy nowadays.

"Hey, Frank? It's a nice hug and all, but you smell weird," Gerard mumbled into Frank's shoulder. Frank giggled his pot-head giggle.

"Well, yeah. Got chlorine all over me, thanks to Ray," Frank said, withdrawing from the hug and attempting to rinse his shirt.

As Gerard shuffled past Frank, towards the door, he heard Frank call, "Hey, see you around?"

"Yeah. See you," Gerard said. With a glance over his shoulder, he walked out of the door.

_Author's Note: Hey guys. C: This is for a contest I entered on Mibba. It's gonna be a three-shot; the other two chapters have already been written up, I just need to edit 'em. Hope you like!_


	2. Chapter 2

Gerard stared at the television screen blankly. He wasn't watching, he was thinking. That's all he ever seemed to do these days. He didn't want to draw, he didn't want to sing; he just wanted to think.

He jolted as his phone started to ring, and he scrambled to get it out of the pockets of his jeans. The phone vibrating against his leg felt weird and unpleasant.

"Hello?" Gerard breathed into the phone; he didn't bother to check the caller I.D. It was probably just Mikey wanting to get picked up from a friend's place or something. Gerard wasn't sure what his brother spent his Saturday nights doing, he just knew that Mikey never stayed at the house much on the weekends.

"Gee, hey!" It was Frank. There was a pause before he added, "Are you watching Jersey Shore?"

"What?" Gerard asked, looking at the television for the first time in two hours. Shit, Jersey Shore was on, and Jesus Christ, how orange were those people, anyway? He turned the sound down a lot. "Uh, no."

"Right, sure. What're you doing tonight?" Frank asked.

"Um, nothin' much. Just, y'know, thinking. And stuff." Gerard mumbled, cursing inwardly at how lame he sounded.

"Good! You're coming to a party with me. Pick me up in forty-five minutes and I'll give you directions, okay?" It didn't even sound like a question, but it didn't have to. Gerard always had trouble saying no to Frank.

"Yeah, okay," Gerard's tone was a little brighter, because fuck it, even if he was going to a party where there would most likely be assholes, he would be with Frank and that made everything okay.

"Awesome! See you then," Frank chirped before hanging up. Gerard sighed and looked at his phone for a little while before swearing under his breath and heading off to his room to get dressed into something a little better than baggy jeans and a stained red shirt. This was the first party Gerard was going to since his sophomore year.

He pulled open his cupboard and stared at the pile of clothes in a heap on the floor. He selected a pair of his tightest jeans, which weren't really all that tight because Gerard wasn't exactly _skinny_ and he was self-conscious, and a plain black shirt that he thought made him look thinner than he actually was. He pulled on his sneakers and tied the laces haphazardly before running his fingers through his hair and giving it an impromptu brush. He didn't bother looking at himself in the mirror; he didn't like his own reflection very much.

Gerard entered the kitchen and sent his mom a tentative smile. She smiled back at him.

"Can I go to a party with Frank?" Gerard asked, and his mother's eyes widened. She quickly schooled her face back into the smile, but Gerard had already seen the disbelief in her eyes.

"Sure, hon. You want to use the car, right?" Gerard nodded. "Tell Frank that if he throws up in it, he will be cleaning it himself." Gerard's mother warned before handing him the car keys, kissing his cheek and making her way to the lounge.

Gerard thought about his mother while he was driving to Frank's house. She was a kind woman, always polite to everyone. She didn't even bat an eyelid when Gerard introduced her to Oliver, who was covered in tattoos. She was probably okay with tattoos because of Frank, though. His mother never seemed to notice the fact that Gerard hardly brought friends over, and if she did notice she hid it very well. Gerard wished that she'd bring up the subject with him sometimes, because then he'd be able to talk about it. He didn't feel comfortable bringing up tough subjects, but once they were brought up he had no problem spilling his feelings to his mother.

Gerard got out of the car when he arrived at Frank's place, and made his way to the door. He's vaguely sure that if he didn't go and see Linda Iero, she would call his mother and his mother would kill him for being impolite. He knocked on the door and it opened almost instantly to reveal Frank's mother.

"Gerard! It's been a while, hasn't it? Come here, sweetie!" The small woman exclaimed, holding her arms open. Gerard obliged and leaned down to hug her. It was true; it had been a long time since he had been there. A month, at least. Frank had been really busy with school, so they hadn't hung out for a while.

"Hi, Mrs Iero," Gerard replied as she released him, smiling at her.

"Linda. I've told you a million times, Mrs Iero makes me feel old," she said, grinning. "Frank'll be down soon, he was just showering."

By the time Frank made it downstairs, Gerard and Mrs Iero were standing in the kitchen, drinking coffee and Mrs Iero was asking how Mikey was. Gerard smiled and waved a little at Frank as he entered the room before downing what was left in his mug.

"Hey, Gee. You look good," Frank said appraisingly, looking him up and down and giving him a thumbs up. Gerard ducked his head as he felt a blush heat up his face.

"Thanks. So do you," Gerard told him; and Frank did. Frank Iero could wear a sack and still look great.

"You ready to go?" Frank asked, clicking his fingers absentmindedly.

Gerard nodded and they made their way to the car.

The drive to the party was filled with Frank yelling random directions and the two of them singing along loudly to the Misfits, guitar solos included. It was the best thing Gerard had done in a long time.

_Author's Note: I changed my mind, there'll be 4 chapters in this, 'cause I felt like this chapter needed to end here. Hope you guys like. :D _


	3. Chapter 3

They eventually arrived at the party, and Gerard parked the car opposite the house and turned off the radio. He could already hear the shitty pop music blaring from the open windows. He took a deep breath and turned to see Frank grinning at him.

"It's gonna be fun, Gee, don't worry about it," Frank soothed, grabbing Gerard's hand and giving it a quick squeeze before getting out of the car. Gerard copied Frank's actions and they both made their way to the house. When they got to the front door, they were greeted by a very drunk-looking guy. Gerard had seen him around school, but he wasn't sure about his name.

"Frankie, dude, you came!" The guy said, grinning and throwing his right arm around Frank's shoulders. Frank nodded, smiling. The guy turned to Gerard, and his face turned into a sneer. "You brought the weird kid."

"Fuck you, Matt. You're drunk," Frank snapped, grabbing Gerard's forearm and leading him into the house. The music was at an almost unbearable level, and there were people everywhere. Frank ended up leading Gerard to the kitchen; where Frank opened the fridge ceremoniously. He took out a beer for himself and a random little juice-box for Gerard. Gerard smiled thankfully as he took the juice from Frank. Frank knew Gerard didn't drink. Gerard didn't have anything _against_ drinking; he just didn't see the point in it. People always ended up doing stupid shit when they were drunk, like setting animals on fire or stripping in front of old ladies.

"Yo, Frank!" Someone called, and Frank's head jerked in the direction of the voice.

"I'm just gonna go say hi to them, Gee. I'll be back soon, yeah?" Frank said apologetically, and Gerard nodded a little.

"Yeah, yeah, it's totally fine, Frankie. Take your time," Gerard said, receiving a grin from Frank as he walked out of the door. As soon as Frank was out of the room, Gerard's grin faltered and he picked at the label on the juice-box. He didn't know what to do now. He didn't know most of the people at the party, and the ones that he did know weren't very fond of him anyway. At first he was okay with staying right where he was in the kitchen, but more and more people started to enter to get more drinks, so he moved to the lounge, standing in the corner of the room awkwardly and looking around for Frank. He wasn't there.

"Hey, Gerard, right?" A voice suddenly asked from his left. Gerard jumped a little; he was so busy looking for Frank that he didn't even notice the person that had sidled up to him. Gerard turned to look at the guy, and was relieved to see it wasn't someone who was going to attack him or anything.

"Yeah. Bert?" Gerard asked, even though he knew full well who the guy was. Bert McCracken. He sat in front of Gerard in their English and Art classes. He was a pretty decent guy, he never gave Gerard any hassles, and he occasionally asked Gerard for help with his art projects.

Bert nodded before saying, "I'm gonna be blunt now. Why the fuck are you here, man? You don't seem like the type."

Gerard shrugged. "Frank invited me."

"You hang out with Iero?" Bert asked, shock clear on his face.

"Yeah," Gerard confirmed, nodding his head. Gerard wasn't surprised that Bert was shocked. Gerard and Frank didn't really seem compatible to anybody who saw them. Gerard wasn't close to anybody in particular, and Frank had a shitload of friends. Gerard was shy, Frank was outgoing and loud. They seemed like opposites. Bert nodded in acceptance and they stood in a semi-awkward silence for a while, watching the people around them. There were people making out on the couches and others were dancing, if you could call it that (to Gerard it looked more like dry humping, really). After a little while, Gerard heard a high-pitched squeal. He looked at Bert, confused, but Bert just pointed to the middle of the room and giggled a little. Gerard's gaze followed Bert's fingers and he saw Frank, who was pushing his way through the people to get to Gerard.

"Gee! Where've you been, man?" Frank asked as soon as he got into hearing-distance.

Gerard shrugged. "Here, I guess."

"Hey, Gee?" Frank asked, pushing closer to Gerard. Gerard winced as he smelt the alcohol on Frank's breath.

"Yeah?"

"You're kinda really pretty," Frank slurred, smiling up at him like he was a fucking god or something. Bert chose that time to give them a sidelong look before shuffling away.

"Uh, thanks, Frankie. I think we should get you home, though," Gerard said, but Frank shook his head adamantly. Before Gerard knew what was happening, Frank had his arms around Gerard's neck and was on his tiptoes.

"Can I kiss you?" Frank asked, looking up at Gerard and reminding him of a puppy.

"Yes," Gerard breathed, forgetting about everyone else in the room and just seeing Frank. Frank grinned up at him before pressing their lips together. The kiss was far from perfect; it was messy and sloppy and Frank tasted bitter from the beer. Gerard didn't give a fuck though, because it was Frank and because he was _kissing_ him.

Frank pulled back suddenly, though, a shocked look on his face, like it was Gerard who had kissed Frank and not the other way around.

"Gerard, I can't," Frank said softly, almost too soft for Gerard to hear. Gerard felt a pang in his chest and he realised, with horror, that he had taken advantage of Frank. Frank was clearly drunk, but Gerard had said yes anyway. Gerard felt like he was going to throw up, but he nodded at Frank. People were staring at them, now, whispering among themselves.

"We should go," was all Gerard said before walking to the front door. Frank stumbled after him, waving goodbye to a couple of people.

Gerard got into the car, and Frank fumbled with the door handle a bit before opening the door and getting in.

"Frank, I'm, uh, sorry. About the kiss. And stuff," Gerard mumbled, keeping his eyes on the road. When he got no reply, he turned to look at Frank. Frank was passed out, slumped against the window. Perfect. Gerard had fucked up the best friendship he had, and Frank obviously didn't have the same feelings that Gerard did. Gerard felt the need to slam his head against the steering wheel, but refrained and kept on driving until he reached Frank's house.

He got out of the car and walked around to the passenger side, where he opened the door carefully; so that Frank didn't fall out. He attempted to shake Frank awake but Frank just groaned a little. Sighing, Gerard shoved his hand into the pocket of Frank's jeans and took out the house keys. He felt like a molester. He unlocked the door first, and then went back to the car to hoist Frank into his arms and carry him inside.

Gerard was pretty sure he couldn't carry Frank up the stairs, not because Frank was heavy; Gerard was just kind of weak. He gingerly laid Frank down on the couch and took off his shoes before tip-toeing up the stairs and fetching Frank's blankets from his room. He put the blankets over Frank, kissed his forehead and left the house.

He drove back home in silence, the kiss running through his head.

He got straight into bed when he got home, only stopping to take off his shoes.

Frank didn't call or text him the next day; and Gerard was too shit-scared to call or text Frank because Gerard was pretty sure that Frank would be disgusted or pissed off.

_A/N: I'm updating from school; yeah, I'm such a rebel. ;D_

_Sorry this one took a while. ._. The next chapter to this will be up in about… 5 hours. When I get home from school. XD_

_Thank you for the reviews, you guys! xo_


	4. Chapter 4

When Gerard arrived at school on Monday, the first thing he noticed was the stares. Pretty much everybody was staring at him, some whispering to each other as he walked passed. It was weird, people usually ignored him; or they simply didn't notice him at all.

He stopped dead in his tracks as his locker came into view. Antonio Toerien was leaning against Gerard's locker. Antonio had always given Gerard shit about everything. Gerard's taste (or lack there-of) in clothes, the music Gerard listened to, and the fact that Gerard didn't have many friends.

Gerard took a deep breath and headed towards his locker, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. Antonio smirked when he saw Gerard.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here," Antonio sneered when Gerard reached his locker.

"Look, can you please just let me get my shit out of my locker?" Gerard asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Not yet. I just wanna talk," Antonio said in a sickly-sweet voice. Gerard nodded.

"I saw you kiss Frank on Saturday," Antonio spat. Gerard bristled. "Are you trying to turn Frank, you fag?"

"N-no. I don't know what you're talking about," Gerard attempted to sound nonchalant, but his shaky voice betrayed him.

"Oh, Gerard. If only you hadn't lied," Antonio shook his head in mock-sympathy. "Me and the guys really can't stand liars."

Antonio's arm shot out and took Gerard by the forearm, and he pulled him quickly into the guy's bathroom. Two of Antonio's friends, Shawn and Mike, were lurking at the back of the bathroom. Their faces broke into grins when Antonio and Gerard entered.

"On your knees, cocksucker," Antonio ordered, blocking the exit. Gerard didn't react; he had more fucking dignity than that. Before Gerard knew what was happening, Antonio grabbed him by the hair and forced him down. Gerard let out a cry as he felt a foot come into contact with his spine, and his knees gave out. The kicking didn't stop. He heard sniggers and insults being thrown his way, but he couldn't bring himself to open his eyes. He wanted to block it all out.

"Hey, what are we gonna do about Frank, though?" Shawn's voice rang out, and Gerard's eyes snapped open. Antonio shrugged.

"Please don't hurt him. Don't hurt Frankie," Gerard choked out, and a foot kicked him sharply in the stomach. His stomach lurched and he coughed violently.

The bell signalling the start of class rang, and Gerard received one last kick to the back of the head before the footsteps made their way out of the room. Gerard curled up as much as he could, tears leaking out of his eyes as his arm made a snapping sound and pain shot through his body.

Two more bells had rung before Gerard managed to get himself standing. He had to leave the bathroom soon, or the hoards of kids who came to the bathroom during lunch would mob the bathroom.

Gerard limped to the stairs. He sat down at the bottom of them heavily, and stared at the ground. He felt numb. Not physically, he could still feel the pain throbbing through his whole body. But emotionally, he felt nothing. Suddenly, Gerard's face hardened. He knew what he was going to do. He looked at the clock that hung above the lockers. He had ten minutes before the lunch bell rang. He hauled himself to his feet using the banister and walked to his locker. He took out his notebook and a pen and began to compose his letter.

Once he was finished scrawling the letter, he ripped the page out of the book and slipped it through the slats in Frank's locker door. Gerard then began his journey up the stairs, seeing as his school didn't have a fucking elevator. His body seemed to protest more with every stair, and white spots began to dance around in his vision by half-way. The bell rang just as he made it to the roof. He looked around for one last time before clenching his fists.

The people on the ground looked tiny from where he was standing. He swayed a little; he hated heights. The wind blew his hair wildly around his face. The tips of his sneakers stuck out over the ledge. Gerard had never felt so alone before. He hadn't felt so ashamed or unwanted. He took a deep breath and prepared to jump; and the people he loved ran through his head. Mikey, Frank, his parents, Linda Iero. He hoped they would forgive him. That they'd understand.

"Gee, don't," a voice rang out, breaking the silence. It was Frank. Gerard's body stiffened. This wasn't part of the plan.

"Frankie?" Gerard asked, turning his head. Frank was standing on the roof, one hand fisted in his hair and the other stretching out towards Gerard.

"Please, Gerard, come down from there," Frank begged, his voice cracking in the middle of the sentence. "I need you."

Gerard stayed where he was, eyes darting between Frank and the ground below.

"Frankie, you've seen how they act. The kids at school, I mean. They'll say so much shit about you," Gerard said. He knew he sounded crazy; his voice was jumping on random words and the last sentence was whispered.

"I don't care what they say. I'm in love with you!" Frank yelled, his voice cracking and he closed his eyes for a bit longer than a standard blink. Before Gerard knew what was happening, Frank was on his knees and sobbing, his body shaking violently. Gerard's heart broke at that moment.

Gerard stepped down from the ledge.

He was kneeling down and wrapping his arms around Frank's small frame in a heartbeat. Frank grabbed Gerard's hands with his own and held on for dear life.

"Don't you fucking leave me," Frank choked out, looking at Gerard through his tear-clad eyelashes.

"I won't. I love you, too, Frankie."

_A/N: Aaaand, this would be the end. Thank you guys for reading/reviewing this. ^^,_

_I can't decide whether to put up Gerard's letter to Frank or not. Yay or nay?_


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